crack
noun
1
a
: a loud roll or peal
a crack of thunder
b
: a sudden sharp noise
the crack of rifle fire
2
: a sharp witty remark : quip
3
a
: a narrow break : fissure
a crack in the ice
b
: a narrow opening
Leave the door open a crack.
cracks between floorboards
—used figuratively in phrases like fall through the cracks to describe one that has been improperly or inadvertently ignored or left outa player who fell through the cracks in the college draft
Children slipping through the cracks of available youth services.
4
a
: a weakness or flaw caused by decay, age, or deficiency : unsoundness
b
: a broken tone of the voice
c
: crackpot
6
7
: a sharp resounding blow
gave him a crack on the head
8
: an attempt or opportunity to do something
her first crack at writing a novel
got first crack at the job opening
9
or crack cocaine
: a potent form of cocaine that is obtained by treating the hydrochloride of cocaine with sodium bicarbonate to create small chips used illicitly for smoking
Examples of crack in a Sentence
The crack runs all the way from the top of the wall to the bottom.
an old patio with grass growing up through the cracks
The vase has a few fine cracks, but it is still usable.
I could see them through the crack in the doorway.
Light came through the cracks in the walls of the barn.
Recent Examples on the Web
That relationship has often been tested, and new cracks have appeared in the past decade.
—
Grant Stringer, Mercury News, 10 June 2026
On Monday night the Pacifica City Council extended an emergency declaration over the pier's condition, which has worsened from cracks in the concrete to a large chasm.
—Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 9 June 2026
From a clinical perspective, these shortages have real consequences — long waits, days in an emergency room waiting for a psychiatric bed to open and conditions that worsen while people fall through the cracks.
—Cathryn Nacario, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 June 2026
This has been a persistent, ongoing leak caused by cracks in the PrK transfer tunnel which connects to the Russian Zvezda service module.
—Chelsea Gohd, Space.com, 9 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for crack
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Grant Stringer, Mercury News, 10 June 2026
On Monday night the Pacifica City Council extended an emergency declaration over the pier's condition, which has worsened from cracks in the concrete to a large chasm.
—Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 9 June 2026
From a clinical perspective, these shortages have real consequences — long waits, days in an emergency room waiting for a psychiatric bed to open and conditions that worsen while people fall through the cracks.
—Cathryn Nacario, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 June 2026
This has been a persistent, ongoing leak caused by cracks in the PrK transfer tunnel which connects to the Russian Zvezda service module.
—Chelsea Gohd, Space.com, 9 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for crack
Cite this Entry
“Crack.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crack. Accessed 12 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
crack
1 of 3 verb
1
a
: to break or cause to break with a sudden sharp sound : snap
b
: to make or cause to make such a sound
crack a whip
2
: to break with or without complete separation of parts
the ice cracked in several places
3
: to tell especially in a clever or witty way
crack jokes
4
a
: to lose control under pressure
—often used with up
b
: to fail in tone
her voice cracked
c
: to give or receive a sharp blow
cracked my head
5
a
: to puzzle out : solve
crack a code
b
: to break into or through
crack a safe
crack the sound barrier
6
a
: to put hydrocarbons through cracking
crack petroleum
b
: to produce by cracking
cracked gasoline
crack
2 of 3 noun1
: a sudden sharp noise
2
: a sharp witty remark : quip
3
: a narrow break or opening
a crack in the glass
open the window a crack
4
a
b
: a broken tone of the voice
5
: the beginning moment
the crack of dawn
6
: a sharp resounding blow
7
: try entry 2
take a crack at it
8
: highly purified cocaine in small chips used illegally usually for smoking
crack
3 of 3 adjective
: of high quality or ability
crack troops
Medical Definition
crack
nounoften attributive
: a potent form of cocaine that is obtained by treating the hydrochloride of cocaine with sodium bicarbonate to create small chips used illicitly usually for smoking
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